World Wide Webfx Internet Glossary of Computer Terms

Glossary of Computer Terms
from World Wide Webfx

name resolution: The process of mapping a name into its corresponding IP address. See also Domain Name System.
nastygram: An unpleasant message, usually e-mail but sometimes in Usenet newsgroups. Usually nastygrams come from a human being who is in a bad mood, but some folks refer to automated warning messages as nastygrams, as well.
National Research and Education Network (NREN): The NREN is the realization of an interconnected gigabit computer network devoted to high-performance computing and communications.
National Science Foundation (NSF): A U.S., government agency whose purpose is to promote the advancement of science. The NSFNET, funded by NSF, was an essential part of academic and research communications. It was a high-speed "network of networks" that was hierarchical in nature. At the highest level, it was a backbone network comprised of 16 nodes connected to a 45Mb/s facility that spanned the continental United States. Attached to that were mid-level networks and attached to the mid- levels were campus and local networks. NSFNET also had connections out of the U.S. to Canada, Mexico, Europe, and the Pacific Rim. The NSFNET was replaced by network access points, where backbone networks (like NETCOM's) interconnect.
negotiation: Just as diplomats negotiate terms of a settlement or treaty, so computers running Internet Protocols negotiate with other computers running IP. These negotiations allow the computers to make sure they are communicating at the same speed, with the same processes, and that the information they exchange will be packaged in ways that each can properly direct the data to the intended destination. This process is also called handshaking, particularly when speaking of modems connecting to one another.
Net News: See Usenet.
netiquette: A pun on "etiquette" referring to proper behavior on a network. There currently is no "Miss Manners" of the Internet.
Netware: the operating system used by Novell fileservers.
network: A data communications system that interconnects several computer systems for the purpose of sharing files and hardware resources such as printers or disk drives. It may be composed of any combination of LANs, MANs, or WANs. See also Local Area Network, Wide Area Network, Internet.
network address: The network portion of an IP address. For a Class A network, the network address is the first byte of the IP address. For a Class B network, the first two bytes of the IP address. For a Class C network, the first three bytes of the IP address. In each case, the remainder is the host address. On the Internet, assigned network addresses are globally unique. See also subnet address.
Network Information Center (NIC): A NIC provides information, assistance and services to network users. See also Network Operations Center.
Network Information Services (NIS): A set of services, generally provided by an NIC, to assist users in using the network. See also Network Information Center.
network node: A machine, usually a computer, on the Internet. Routers, workstations, and modems are all nodes. While some nodes are at endpoints of a piece of the network, others are waystations or entry points.
network number: See IP address, network address.
Network Operations Center (NOC): A location from which the operation of a network is monitored. Additionally, this center usually serves as a clearinghouse for connectivity problems and efforts to resolve those problems. See also Network In formation Center.
network printer: a printer that is attached to a network and (generally) accessible by other machines on that network.
Network Time Protocol (NTP): A protocol that assures accurate local timekeeping with reference to radio and atomic clocks located on the Internet. This protocol is capable of synchronizing distributed clocks within milliseconds over long time periods.See Network Information Center
newsgroup: Collection of related articles in the USENET news system. This is a way for users with common interests to share information.
NeXT: multiuser Unix Workstation manufactured by NeXT corporation that runs the NeXTSTEP operating system (NeXT Turbo).
NFS: network Filesystem, protocol originated by Sun Microsystems to facilitate file sharing between computers, over a network.
NIS: See Network Information Services.
NNTP: Net News Transfer Protocol, protocol used to facilitate the disemination of USENET news.
NOC: See Network Operations Center
node: An addressable device attached to a computer network. See also host, router.
Norton Utilities: a set of utility programs for PCs and Macs that allows the user to restore crashed files and repair other problems with disks and hard drives.
notebook: Portable, battery powered computer smaller than a laptop with monitor, system unit and keyboard combined as one unit.(see notebook)
Novell Menu: menu system used in some of the DOS-based computers on Grounds.
Novell Fileserver: Provides central sorce for software and file storage capabilty for microcomputer users.
NREN: See National Research and Education Network. NSF See National Science Foundation.